In
heraldry, a yale is a
monster with a
tufted body resembling a
goat or
boar, and with the ability to
swivel its
horns about at will. The tail is either short and
stumpy or like that of the (
heraldic)
lion.
The first yale was as a supporter of the arms of John, Duke of Bedford (d. 1435), and is illustrated in the Bedford Book of Hours.
A silver yale spattered with bezants, an emblem of the Beaufort family, was used as one of the Queen's Beasts at her Coronation in 1953. It may also be seen on the gatehouses of Christ's College and St John's College in Cambridge.